


Shining Star to Wooloo Wrangler

by Eye_of_Stars



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Hop is a mischievous little shit, Leon is a good brother with good intentions all around, Leon tries to be very supportive, Reader is slightly depressed, slight angst, wholesome support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22220821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eye_of_Stars/pseuds/Eye_of_Stars
Summary: Working for the small family in Potswick was hard work, but simple. You’d pull the weeds, plant crops according to the season, tend to the family’s herd of wooloo, and occasionally bring produce to Turffield or Hulbury to sell at market. In return, they made sure you felt at home among them. You were payed well, and they always had a seat for you at meals. It was cozy, and their son Hop was nothing short of entertaining most days, helping you with your chores on occasion. It was a major lifestyle shift from just a few short months ago, but it was a welcome change. Seven months ago, you were reigning champion of Unova, 9 years running, but the young girl from Dragon City, Iris, was turning out to be a formidable opponent. Seven months ago, you were face to face with said violet haired child, a sad smile on your face as you handed her your iconic tiara, relinquishing your title as Champion once and for all. Six months ago, you had cut and dyed your hair, got on a flight to Galar, and didn’t look back.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Reader, Hop (Pokemon)/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 293





	1. Chapter 1

The new region was nice, no media constantly bombarding you, no flashing lights of photos being taken, no constant influx of people asking for an autograph. The occasional individual vaguely recognized you when you went out to the more populous cities, but aside from those rare moments, no one knew who you were. You were free to enjoy your life without having an image and reputation to uphold, and your pokémon seemed to enjoy the tranquility too, but they had their complaints and expressed them occasionally.

Hop had just sprinted past the field where you were working, headed towards Wedgehurst, and his mother had just come outside with a bottle of fresh water for you and your Mienshao, informing you that their eldest son, Leon, the Champion of Galar that Hop talked so much about, would be home for a week or so.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say Leon was relieved to be home was a massive understatement. Being the unbeatable champion was a demanding job, and it showed when he finally would get moments to himself. Having to keep up a public personality had become more difficult in recent years, not that it would stop him any time soon. He greeted the crowd at Wedgehurst station, striking his iconic Charizard pose, the title pokémon roaring behind him.

“Hello Wedgehurst, your champion, Leon, is back! I promise I’ll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch. I hope you’ll all carry on training up your pokémon and never shy from battle. Then come challenge me for the Champion title! My wish is for Galar’s trainers to work together to become the strongest in all the world!”

That’s when he noticed Hop, trying desperately to get his attention from behind the group of people.

“So, my number-one fan in all the world has come out of his way to pick me up! Look at you Hop; I’d reckon you’ve grown… exactly an inch and a quarter since I last saw you!”

“Bingo! That’s the sort of sharp eye that’s kept you undefeated so long, eh, Lee? Come on! I’ll race you home!”

“Hang on, Hop.” He turned to face the crowd once more. “Well everyone! I bid you farewell for today! But don’t you fret…” He struck his Charizard pose again, “I’ll always be around to make sure everyone in Galar can have a champion time!” He turned back to his younger brother, “Okay, now I’ll race you home!” and he took off into a sprint.

“Hey!” Hop took off after his brother, Charizard flying slowly behind the two trainers.

He and Hop were toe-to-toe by the time they reached their parent’s fields lining route 1. Leon was easily distracted, lending well to his dismal sense of direction, so he couldn’t help but notice the beautiful woman around his age working in the field alongside a purple pokémon he had never seen before. He kept running but his pace had slowed significantly, confusion evident on his face. And then, he tripped, landing face first on the ground with a large thud. Dust kicking up around him.

“Getting lost already, Lee? Did you have a nice trip?” Hop called back to his brother, laughing.

Hop had won their little race, looking rather pleased with himself as he leaned up against their mailbox. Leon dusted himself off.

“You got me beat, Hop. I expected nothing less!” He ruffled the shorter boy’s hair once he had caught up, much to his brother’s dismay.

“Stop it, Lee!” he swatted his brother’s hand. “Mom’s got dinner cooking, come on I have something I want to show you!”

~~~~~~~~~~~

You stayed out in the field harvesting artichokes and planting radishes when the two boys arrived; figuring they would all enjoy having the family back under one roof for a while, you kept to yourself, continuing to work alongside Mienshao. You didn’t want to intrude, briefly noticing the older brother watching you as he ran past before going back to focusing on the task at hand. In your momentary observation, you couldn’t help but notice how confused he looked as he ran past. You were no stranger to unusual glances when someone saw Mienshao. It was fun in a way, having a pokémon not found in the region.

The sun was beginning to set, signaling the end to your workday. You and Mienshao gathered the tools to return them to the shed by the house. You grabbed your bag from the nearby table and were just barely making your way towards route 1 when Hop’s mom came out the side door, having noticed you leaving through the kitchen window.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to Wedgehurst? I figured with both of your sons home, you’d like some family time. It’s no big deal, honestly. I don’t want to impose.”

“Rubbish! I’m sure you’re hungry after working so hard all day, and I just finished making dinner. Besides, you’ve been with us for so long already, you may as well be family! Don’t try to run off on us now!” She laughed.

Betraying you, your stomach let out a low grumble, the scent of spicy curry wafting out the open kitchen door. Mienshao gave her trainer one glance before heading over to the violet haired woman, wiping her paws before entering the house. How polite.

Defeated, you accepted the kind woman’s offer. Taking off your very muddied boots before entering the home.


	2. Chapter 2

“What is it Hop?” Leon was relaxing with his feet kicked up on Hop’s chair at the dinner table. It’s not like he was using it anyway. He loved seeing his little brother so excited, it reminded him of himself when he had been on his own journey, what felt like eons ago. He could hear his mom talking to someone behind him, but hardy payed attention.

The younger boy grabbed a pokeball from his bag, releasing the Toxel he had caught on his most recent trip to the Wild Area.

“Isn’t he cool? I’m going to evolve him into a Toxtricity, and (y/n)’s gonna help me train him up so I can take you down and become Champion in no time!” Hop beamed. Leon chuckled at his brother’s eagerness; while he was unbeatable, he really wanted his first loss to be to his brother, Hop deserved it having lived in his shadow for so long, though he’d never let him on to that. He was about to reply when an unfamiliar voice rang from behind him.

“I never actually agreed to that Hop… Part of the fun is training it yourself.” The smooth, feminine voice caught the champion’s attention. It was the woman from the field! His heart damn near leapt out of his chest. She looked vaguely familiar but was even more beautiful face-to-face. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, her cheeks were darkened, being kissed by the sun from working in the field all day, and her eyes were tired, but not just from working all day, but from life. The mysterious purple pokémon took immediate interest in the small Toxel, scooping it up into her paws and emitting an odd trill.

“Come on (y/n)! I’m aiming to be the best there is! You gotta help me!”

She rolled her eyes, “I know you are, and you’ll get there soon enough, you goof. But a bond between a trainer and their pokémon comes from more than just training them to be strong, you know. Having a Toxtricity will mean nothing if he doesn’t understand where your heart’s at, how he fits into your team, or what your goal is. You and your pokémon have to share that value of being “the best there is”, otherwise they’ll always under-perform because their heart’s not in it. It’s about finding the right pokémon that shares your ideals, not just using a specific species of pokémon; that’s the true indicator of a great trainer. You could have the strongest pokémon in the world, but if he’d rather be curled up by a nice fire having his head scratched, he won’t give every ounce of his energy into taking down a Haxorus in a battle. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

She put her hands on her hips, shifting her weight to one side. The purple pokémon let out a happy trill in agreement, setting Toxel down. 

If Leon wasn’t infatuated before, he sure was now. She was close to his age, her pale green hair complimented her skin beautifully, she was simply put: beautiful in his eyes and, if her partner’s response was any indicator, she knew what she was talking about when it came to developing the best pokémon team there is. It didn’t get much better than that in his book. He kicked his feet off the chair, bolting up and stepping forward a little too quickly.

“I’m Leon.” He stuck out his hand for her to shake.

“So, I’ve heard,” she raised an eyebrow, but smiled and shook his hand. That smile was going to be his kryptonite and he knew it. “(y/n). It’s nice to finally meet. Hop speaks very highly of you.”

Leon studied her face. Why was she vaguely familiar? Where did he know her from?

The young woman turned to the boys' mother.

“Do you have anywhere I could change and clean up a bit before dinner? The squash patch was a swamp today and a mess to harvest. I’ll take them and the artichokes into Turffield either tomorrow or the day after.”

“Of course, sweetie. You can use my room, it’s the door next to the stairs.”

The mint haired girl grabbed a tan simple shirt dress and a pair of black leggings from her bag, and their mother went into the other room to talk with their grandfather. “Come on Mienshao, let’s get you cleaned up too.”

Now alone, Hop got a mischievous look on his face as Leon took his seat at the table again.

“Leon, want to see something even cooler than Toxel?”

The champion eyed his brother cautiously, it wasn’t often Hop got that look in his eyes, but when he did it was either a prank, or something he knew he could get in trouble for.

“What are you on about, Hop?”

His younger brother went over to (y/n)’s bag and started rifling through it quickly and quietly, watching over his shoulder from time to time.

“Hop!” Leon dropped his voice to a whisper and sent him a panicked glare, knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to stop his brother from what he was doing. When he gets an idea, there’s hardly ever any stopping him. “You can’t just go through people’s stuff!”

Hop smiled mischievously as he pulled out a thin, black, hard-shelled case and tossed it to Leon.

“Quick,” Hop looked over his shoulder once more, “check it out!” Leon opened the case and was greeted by 10 shining gym badges, none of which familiar to him. A look of confusion spread across his face as his eyes lingered over the shining enamel, taking in each one individually, before one of panic when he heard the door to his mother’s room shut. He quickly closed it with a resounding *click* and quickly tossed the case back to Hop who juggled the case briefly, not being able to get a solid grip on it initially, before promptly shoving it back into y/n’s bag. Whirring around to greet his friend with a cheesy smile, panic still etched into Hop’s eyes. She stopped in the doorway, confused; Mienshao close behind her.

“Well you two definitely don’t look like you’re up to something.” She raised an eyebrow, walked towards Hop, who was standing suspiciously close to her bag, and shoved her soiled overalls and shirt inside, still eyeing the young boy carefully.

Hop took a step back, tucked his hands behind his head, and shifted his weight to one side,

“You know (y/n)? In the time I’ve known you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress. You look nice.” Hop looked her up and down and sent her a, more genuine, smile; eliciting an exasperated eye roll from the green-haired woman.

She squinted at Hop. “Fine then, keep your secrets. I don’t want them anyway.” She huffed, making Leon smile. “But what I do want is your mother’s curry.”

She pulled up a chair between Leon and Hop, her leg unintentionally brushing his, causing a slight blush to rise to his cheeks.

He had fallen for this woman, hard, and not just earlier on route 1.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was uneventful, mainly small talk and the boys filling each other in on their lives. You were quiet for most of the meal, answering a few of Leon’s questions. You were actively trying not to make a fool of yourself in front of the extremely handsome man, so you decided the less that was said, the less could go wrong.

“How long have you been working the farm?”

“I’ve been here for about 6 months now, Mienshao seems to enjoy the simplicity and hard work.”

“Mienshao is?” He pointed to the purple weasel, happily gnawing away at the slowpoke tail in the curry.

“Yup! She’s one of many. A good companion and a strong pokémon.”

“So, where are you from? You don’t exactly sound like you’re from Galar, and Mienshao definitely isn’t.”

A genuine curiosity adorned his features.

“Castelia City, Unova. It’s been quite the change moving to Wedgehurst.”

Leon’s face fell when you said the word “Unova”, eyebrows shooting up and eyes going wide momentarily, almost as if he had realized something, before quickly going back to a very characteristically animated smile. You panicked internally at his reaction. He knew. He had to. Champions knew each other, and while in your time you never interacted with him, you defiantly saw a battle or two of his back home. It would be unwise to assume he hadn’t seen you battle at least once.

“I’m surprised you wouldn’t move somewhere livelier, like Wyndon or Hammerlocke.”

“I’m trying to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Too many eyes on you at all times, you know?”

Leon laughed. His laugh was like velvet, it made your heart soar.

“I definitely understand.”

Once everyone had finished eating, you politely dismissed yourself.

“Thank you again for dinner, it truly was wonderful, as always. I’ll be back just after sunrise!”

“It’s the least I can do for all your help! I don’t know how we managed without you and your pokemon. Have a safe travel home!” Hop’s mother called after you as you closed the door behind you, taking a deep breath in. What an ordeal. It should be illegal to be as attractive as Leon is. Though, that is unfortunately part of being champion, something you knew all too well. If you want to be the part, you have to look it; constantly being monitored on physical appearances by the media, the iconic outfit and everything else.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning you were out bright and early as usual. The dew on the tall grass lining route 1 always caught the sun in such a beautiful way at sunrise. Mienshao plodded along next to you, snacking on a berry she had grabbed from the house. It was barely 8 am when you reached the shed outside your employer’s home. But it was strange, generally Hop or his mother made sure the shed was either unlocked or the key was hanging on the hook next to the door so you didn’t have to worry about waking anyone up, though the violet haired woman was generally awake by the time you arrived. But neither was the case this morning. You sighed before quietly knocking at the kitchen door. Said door flung open immediately, startling you. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the house. Hop stood before you, already dressed and more excited than ever. The young boy was hardly ever awake before noon, much less at this level of energy.  
“Uh. Morning Hop.” You cleared your throat, this having been the first time you spoke today, and eyed him somewhat suspiciously. “I was just wondering where the key to the shed was.”  
“I’ll give it to you if you battle me!”  
“What?”  
“Oh, cut it out Hop.” The voice of his mother came from somewhere in the house.  
“You have all of those badges in your bag, but I’ve never seen you battle. Let’s battle.” You sighed and looked at the ground.  
“Hop, I’ve told you a hundred times before, and my answer has yet to change. No. I’m sorry, I just can’t right now. Can I just have the key please?”  
The short, purple haired boy pouted and pulled the key from his pocket, setting it disappointedly in your hand. You turned back towards the shed as the door closed behind you.

Mienshao looked up at you with longing eyes and warbled sadly. You sighed, unlocking the shed, grabbing gloves and some tools; handing sheers to the purple weasel at your side.  
“I know, ‘Shao. I… I just can’t bring myself to yet.”  
She chirped curiously. “Shao. Mien, Mienshao?”  
“The wound is just too raw. I know, I know… come on.”  
You pulled yourself out of the memories of your last battle of Unova and gave Mienshao a scratch under the chin; the pain still lingered as the two of you headed out to the field to begin harvesting the last of the squash.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The midday sun was just starting to bear down and the sound of Ninjask filled the air with screeches that could be heard for miles.  
“Mienshao-ao” the pokémon pulled at your overall strap as you worked, kneeling in the muddy soil and clipping a squash from its vine.  
“Is it lunch time already?”  
The pokémon shook its head and trilled.  
“Hey” a low voice came from a few feet behind you.

You snapped your head around to see none other than the Galar Champion coming towards you, holding three bottles of water. His iconic outfit now having been exchanged for black boots, olive green cargo pants, a grey tee, and a black snapback with a green brim. Your heart leapt in your chest and you couldn’t help from smiling as you rose to your feet and removed your muddy gloves. “Hey stranger, what’re you doing out here?”  
He smiled back at you, handing you a bottle of water and opening one for Mienshao, and handing it to her. “I figured you could use a break and maybe an extra set of hands.”  
You cocked an eyebrow and chuckled up at him, “Thanks. The fabulous ‘Unbeatable Leon’ has nothing better to do than help out the farmhand, huh?” You cracked open the lid of the bottle, taking a swig, grateful for the cold liquid that ran down your throat.  
“Mehh,” he shrugged “I’m not complaining about having a few days off of Champion duties. Raihan offered to take calls for a few days.”  
“And you want to waste your time off doing physical labor? Interesting.”  
“What? You don’t?”

Your face fell for a split second before continuing to smile. He was right in a way. You were spending your time away from being champion doing physical labor on the farm.

  
“I’m more a fan of naps and video games, myself.”  
He laughed. “I used to do this stuff before I left for the gym challenge; figured it’d be nice to help out again while I’m home, maybe it’ll pull me out of my head a little bit, you know?”  
“I get it. I’m just giving you crap.”

The two of you were quiet for a few minutes as you downed the remainder of the water bottle Leon brought you. He was just watching out over the field, nostalgia glimmering in his eyes before he spoke quietly.  
“Does Hop know?”  
You looked at him confused. He turned to look at you again.  
“I… uh… Not to Rattata him out, or make you uncomfortable, but Hop showed me your badges yesterday before dinner. Which I have to say, it’s a very impressive collection you’ve got. You looked familiar from the start, but I really couldn’t pinpoint from where until you mentioned you were from Unova. My assumption was solidified after you left last night when Hop mentioned you have a shiny Zoroark.”

You paled and your heart dropped. Hop really blew your cover without knowing, didn’t he? Zoroark was your ace during your reign as champion. He had been a gift from your close friend N after the defeat of Team Plasma. The tiny Zorua was the first pokémon you’d ever seen actually dislike N. The blue and grey fox-like pokémon came running up to you when you met with N in the Nimbassa theme park and curled through your legs. N offered you keep him since he liked you and the rest is history. You closed your eyes and sighed deeply, running a hand over your face while trying to figure out how to go about this conversation with Leon.

  
“No, Hop doesn’t know I was Champion of Unova, no one does except for you apparently. And frankly I’d like to keep it that way. He knows that I was a trainer, but that’s because he stole my badge case the first week I was here. I’ve told him stories of battling Team Plasma, saving the region, learning how to communicate well with my pokémon, things like that, but never that I became champion. He’s been asking to battle every few days since I started working here.”  
“Was a trainer? I don’t really understand how you just walk away from being a trainer. Why would you leave everything you worked so hard for behind just to toil away on a random farm halfway around the world? I’ve seen a fair amount of your battles and every one of them was impeccable! Why didn’t you just try to win your title back?”

  
It was a hard question that hurt like hell. The last six months you had torn yourself apart for running away from Unova, but if anyone could possibly understand, it would be Leon. And if he didn’t now, he would eventually. You looked into his golden eyes sadly.

  
“When you’re the best there is for too long, you don’t have anyone to help you improve anymore. There’s no real training in order to get better, you’re just battling the next best trainer in line over, and over again. For me, that was my best friend N. All you end up doing is ingraining the mistakes you’ve made all along, powerful though they may be. And when someone comes along to exploits those mistakes, after being idolized as the greatest trainer in history,” You sighed and shook your head sadly looking at your feet, “you just can’t seem grasp what you’ve done wrong and it absolutely destroys you. A little piece of your soul goes with every loss after that first one. You get angry, aggressive, reclusive; sometimes it makes battles that much more intense, but most of the time it’s a distraction that blinds you. You overanalyze every move you make, every command you call out, everything you do is something you’re doing wrong. You begin to lose who you are more than you already had on your way to the top. And day after day, being bombarded with questions by reporters reminding you of your failure and how you feel about it, but being required to pretend like you don’t care that you’ve lost a part of your life’s purpose because you have a public appearance with an air of confidence to uphold. It’s exhausting and not worth it, because all you’ll want to do is crawl into a hole.  
No one knows who I am here, hardly anyone recognizes me when I go to the cities. It’s nice. I don’t have to be Champion (y/n) all day, every day, anymore. I can just be (y/n), the girl who helps out on a farm in Potswick and helps herd wooloo with Milo sometimes. You really lose yourself when you’re the champion; you become the embodiment of everybody else’s expectations but your own.”

  
Leon was speechless. He didn’t know what to expect, but it surely wasn’t that. His battles with Raihan were the first thing that came to mind, followed by the upcoming Gym Challenge. Was this what he had to look forward to if he ever lost? The idea of being so broken terrified him.

  
“Sorry if that’s too much of a harsh reality, and frankly, an emotional dump. I… haven’t had the chance to tell anyone. But it’s why I’m here; that’s why I don’t battle anymore. If anyone would understand, even remotely, I figured it’s another champion.”  
“I… I don’t really know what to say, but it makes sense and I’m glad you even told me. You were champion for 9 years, right? I’ve been champion for 10. I just haven’t really thought of losing as a possibility, unless it was intentionally to Hop when he takes on the gym challenge.”  
“I didn’t think about it until it hit me like a ton of bricks, and I didn’t have a choice. You’re at least one step ahead of me when it comes to accepting it.”  
Leon was quietly observing the woman in front of him, trying to figure out how to help her pick herself up.

  
“Would you ever battle again?”  
You looked up at the purple haired man. “Why? I haven’t battled since I set foot on the plane to Galar. Why should I start now?”  
“It’s like you said yesterday, you and your pokémon have to share your values for what they’re doing, otherwise they’ll always under-perform because their heart’s not in it.” He looked towards Mienshao, who was off in the field chasing a wild Cutiefly. “I’m going to take a wild guess and say that Mienshao would rather have a battle than harvest squash.”

You watched your beloved fighting-type attack the tiny fairy pokémon. Mienshao loved a good battle, she always had. The only reason she agreed to be your partner was because you had promised her that she would always be able to show off in battles, be able to keep getting stronger, be able to keep learning how to keep getting better. You had let her down when you came to Galar, you must’ve. You sighed deeply and spoke so quietly Leon almost missed it.

“She deserves a better trainer than me.”  
“But she chose you because she believes in you right? All of your pokémon did. You’re the best trainer for them.”  
You went silent and looked anywhere but him. Leon was right. Your pokémon trusted you, believed you would keep moving forward, believed you would keep trying. He sent a simple smile and rested a hand on your shoulder.

  
“By the way, Mom actually sent me out here to tell you that you can have the rest of today and tomorrow off if you like. Milo is in the Wild Area harvesting berries and offered to come pick up the squash and turnips himself since it’s not too far.”  
You quickly pulled your gaze back to the champion a mere few feet in front of you. “Are you serious?”  
“If I’m lying, I’m dying.” He tried to hold back his laugh at your surprised face, before going sheepish “Do you want to go get lunch in town or something?”

  
“I’d love to.” You smiled up at him, a blush coming to your cheeks, but paused, looking back over towards the home, “But I think I owe someone a battle first. A few someone’s… But we’re going to need an audience.” You looked back to Leon smiling, an uncomfortable determination seating itself inside you, one you hadn't felt since you faced Iris.

The smile that cracked Leon’s face was almost blinding before he pulled you into a Beware hug. He mumbled into your hair, “I’m glad to hear it. Hop doesn’t stand a chance.”

**Author's Note:**

> I may add more chapters to this in the future if people are interested enough.


End file.
